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verktyg

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Gitane "22 inch 10 speed mens vanschendel toulouse" on eBay.

http://tinyurl.com/ydpbydc

It's not fair to criticize eBay or Craigslist sellers who have no knowledge of items like bicycles and list everything that's written on the bike in their descriptions.

Where I take exception are the "pack and ship" outlets that try and make their descriptions sound like they're experts and know what they are talking about.

At least this seller has the common sense to say that they know nothing about bikes and the sale is pickup only or they will charge ~$100 to have it shipped (and presumably packed by a bike shop which is no guarantee either).

Last year a friend was the high bidder for an NOS (New Old Stock) early 80s Centurion bike. As he was the only bider, he got it for a good (but fair) price.

It seems that the seller, a pack and ship outlet, was unhappy with the sale price and did everything he could to back out of the deal (thinking that he had a real gold mine worth much more). It took weeks before my friend could get the seller to ship the bike. He really wanted that bike so he persisted much longer than I would have.

Rather than have the bike properly packed by someone who knew what they were doing, the seller did a shoddy packing job himself (and charged a fortune to ship it too). The seller used an automotive gear puller to remove BOTH crank arms (unnecessary work) plus packed it so the wheels scratched up the seat and down tubes on a new bike!

My friend was distraught over the way the bike arrived but there wasn't much he could do (don't count on eBay to offer much help or back you up either, the processes are long and time consuming).

So, what to do? I suggest that if you are buying a bike or frame online, that you make it clear to the seller that you want the item to be properly packed, even it it takes threats like not paying until you see pictures of how it's packed! Mad

I send sellers these pictures showing how the forks and rear dropouts should be blocked with spacers so that they don't get squeezed inward.

You can get these plastic spacers at bike shops probably for free since they're used in packing most new bikes. You can also used a block of wood, and old hub axle or even all-thread with nuts and washers.

You can also get plastic caps to fit over the axle ends on the wheels. These need to be taped on so that they don't come off in transit.

Here's what can happen in shipping if you don't block the dropouts! Evil or Very Mad

This was a NOS Motobecane I got on eBay from a seller in France. The 126mm wide rear dropouts were compressed to 90mm wide!!! Shocked

Here's the box the frame came in.

That's the derailleur hanger protruding from the box! This was all after the seller agreed to my packing requests!

It cost me $40 to have a local frame builder realign the rear triangle. I negotiated a substantial refund from the seller.

Another friend just bought a frame on eBay from this same seller. He sent my pictures to the seller and told him he would pay for the frame after he saw pictures of how it was being packed!

The seat stays, rear triangle, top tube and down tube are the areas most likely to get damaged in shipping. Foam pipe insulation is good for providing minor protection against dings and scratches in the frame tubes.

Bubble wrap does not protect a bike!!!! Mad

Here's my 1984 Tour de France that was in almost mint condition until the seller shipped it to me in bubble wrap with the wheels rolling around in the box. As an afterthought (I guess) the seller threw a bucket of Styrofoam "peanuts" into the box around the rear triangle! Rolling Eyes

Shipping in the US:

WARNING! Most UPS Stores in the US are privately owned concessions. They make their own rules and can charge you what ever they want! UPS has no control over these businesses! Evil or Very Mad

If you want to ship something via UPS deal directly with them not a pack and ship outlet, mail box store or UPS Store.

Same thing with FedEx, don't use a pack and ship outlets.

Kinkos, now called Kinkos Office is owned and operated by FedEx and offer the same services as FedEx.

FedEx Ground is a reasonable way to ship bikes and frames.

The US Post Office (USPS) is a good way to ship some things. I just went through several days of nightmares trying to ship a frame via priority mail. I've received frames that cost less than $35 to ship but...

Priority Mail is great for small components - 2-3 days delivery in the US for a reasonable price (most of the time).

I hope some of this info helps you avoid bad sellers and poor packing.

Chas.

greyhundguy

drummer5

Great write up Chas!

And in case anyone was wondering he does in fact practice what he preaches:

This is a frame I just received from Chas this past weekend

And the best part about using these packing materials is that I was able to easily re-use to pack up a frame to ship back to Chas!

I sent the frame to him using "FedEx Office" basic ground shipping this past weekend, so time will tell just how careful the FedEx shippers are.

verktyg

jcatron

Yes, horrific !
These people should maybe be bubble wrapped , and with some even stick-ing out somewhere !